Of Daydreams in Desert
by PhoenixSongs
Summary: Katara and Zuko are travelling aimlessly and endlessly in a desert... when they meet things are... strange... total fluff xx


Should he have told Uncle to leave? Gone of on the endless mission alone? Of course he shouldn't have, his aching stomach and tired feet and parched throat should have told him that.

Prince Zuko cursed himself as he wandered a dirt track; not sure where he was going.

-x-

Katara did not know where she was going.

She knew _why_ she was going, she was looking for what she had lost; for _who_ she had lost. But she had no idea where those she had lost were.

She took a measured sip from her water skin, desperate to quench her throat but have enough to protect herself, should any thieves - or worse - descend upon the young girl travelling alone through the endless wilderness.

-x-

Was it a mirage? Perhaps his tiredness and his thirst and his hunger had conjured such an image in the misty, dry air.

He walked towards it, wanting to reach it, but also not wanting to shatter the fragile image.

-x-

_Water. _The dear, sweet, push and pull of the lake was irresistible; it seemed to sing her forward, her dry and dirty feet half ran towards it, aching to taste, to be safe and protected by it's cool majesty and the power she drew from it; she needed it.

She sank on the damp, sandy dirt that surrounded the small but beautiful oasis. Kneeling at the water edge she did not have the strength to water bend it; she cupped her hands to tepid but still wonderful water, and drank deeply, as though she had never drunk before.

-x-

Zuko was running now; all in desperation to reach the water that looked to real to be a cruel trick of his eyes.

As he got closer he stopped questioning its realism, only the strange circumstances of it. From far away it had looked like just a pool of water amongst the dirt; he knew it would be warm and dirty but as he neared it the world seemed to go quite mad.

The pool of water had been transformed; in it's place stood a great bowl of pure ice, balancing on the sand, Zuko wondered if he was still dreaming as he reached into the filled bowl and pulled a hand full of glacial water that was more beautiful that all the gold and jewels in the world.

The water trickled down his throat; the freshest thing he had ever drunk, there was no way his mind could conjure something so beautiful as that, of of the great ice bowl that had meticulous patterns on the ice and stretched high into the sky with a fountain, it's spires reaching towards the heavens, water cascading down it's sides.

But even more beautiful was the soft singing that he could hear coming from to close, filled with so much joy and peace and beauty that the fountain may have fallen into the ground for all Zuko cared. He inched around the fountain to where the music came from.

-x-

Maybe it was foolish for such an elaborate fountain in the desert, but Katara had been depraved of water bending for so long, and so many had been depraved of beauty or delicacy in such a harsh place that she had turned the dirty puddle of water into such a sculpture that it was like a dream; she raised spires of ice that the sun could not melt into the sky to that other weary travellers may see this small oasis and be saved from dust and dirt.

And her untempered joy had needed such an outburst that she had sang with happiness and bent the shimmering water around her, caressing her arms and neck and legs, too cool her burnt limbs and her dry lips and soak her dry hair, and just to see the sparkling water around her, her outburst had turned into a dance, a great swirl of dancing colour of her clothes and skin and the icy blue of the water and she felt like there was no place more beautiful than that little fountain in the desert.

But then she saw a figure watching her, and his face, so familiar and famous that she had been afraid, and her swirling dance and the water around her became a weapon.

Because Prince Zuko was watching her with an expression she had never seen upon his or any man's face.

-x-

Zuko pondered if he had died in that desert many hours ago. That he had arrived in this heavenly place as just a spirit, an apparition or a spectre.

Because he was certain that he had never seen such beauty and grace as the dancing creature that was in his vision now, and he had never imagined that anything could have made the water tribe girl look more beautiful when she had worn her blue robes, her chocolate hair loose as she had fought him with such a passion; but now she looked like a true angel.

But then her composure shifted, her eyes became the hardened glare and her stance drew to war that he knew so well, he held up his hands, not leaving her jewel like eyes, and lowered his head in a bow; to show he meant no harm.

-x-

'What are you doing here, Zuko?' She asked, not sure how to approach the situation - mortal enemies were not meant to meet in a desert oasis miles away from anyone else. And overly proud banished princes were not meant to bow to 'water tribe peasants' and they most certainly weren't meant to give water tribe girls looks that turned their insides to mush.

'I was just looking for a drink.' He sounded sincere, though his voice was rough, as though he had not spoken for many days. She took a step back; his gruff voice was a little scary.

'Why are you travelling alone in the Earth Kingdom wilderness at all?' He seemed to consider, a small smirk on his face,

'It's a long story.' He said eventually, 'Can i ask why you in the wilderness alone?' did he sound… _concerned? _For my safety?

'It's a long story.' He gave her and exasperated look and he sank to the floor, his legs crossed,

'I am now a fugitive of both the Fire Nation as well as the rest of the world, i was travelling with my uncle but we separated and i am not all that certain where i am even going, just keeping on the move as to not get arrested. And i am no longer searching out the Avatar if that is what you are asking.' She considered for a moment, her narrowed eyes observing his as to detect lies, then she placed her ice dagger back into the water where it turned to liquid and sat down a fair distance away, although still one her guard; She was not certain what she should tell him and what she should not.

-x-

Her hair glittered with droplets of water, as she sat down, she considered her words for a moment and begun.

'We lost Aang's bison to Sand Benders in a great desert far West, we escaped the desert but we were separated from each other when i was captured by a familiar group of pirates,' She gave him a furious glance and he smirked at the memory of his own dealings with certain pirates and her, 'I escaped but on an island far from where they had been, i think that they followed the pirates until they realised i was not with them and we could find no way of contact. I heard there was a sighting of the Avatar in an earth kingdom town many miles south west, i was unaware of the drought in this part of the country and so i was unprepared… and now i'm a little lost, only really able to use the stars as a way to guide me.' She averted her eyes, as though the memory was bitter.

'Well i rather wish i had thought of such an idea,' using the stars to guide her - it was clever - 'i am aimlessly wandering South because i heard there were many jobs in the southern towns.'

She blushed at something she seemed to think of, averting her eyes, a smile tweaking at her lips,

'Then perhaps, if we are both travelling South, we may travel there together.' She met his eyes with a kind smile and he smiled back. He very much wanted to travel in the company of the kind water bender he knew so little about - he wished very much he knew more about her.


End file.
